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A rare procedure to redirect blood flow to the liver has been performed by University of Florida surgeons at Shands Children’s Hospital at UF.
REX is a simple term that refers to the anatomical location where the shunt is placed to move blood to the liver. This procedure has been used approximately 50 times in the United States.
Max Langham, M.D., professor of surgery in the UF College of Medicine, recently performed the seven-hour surgery on a 16-year-old patient who suffered from a cavernous transformation of the portal vein - a congenital abnormality that prevents normal blood flow from the intestines to the liver.
The portal vein supplies the liver with 75 percent of its blood supply and 50 percent of its oxygen. The cause of this condition is unknown, but it occurs in approximately one in every 5,000 people.
“The REX shunt is essentially a bypass procedure that brings normal blood flow back into the liver from the veins that collect blood from the intestines,” Langham said.
“We use a portion of a vein from the patient (often the jugular) to create the shunt. Blood flows across that bridge and around the obstruction and normally back into the liver.”
Langham said other types of shunts that have been used typically route blood back to the heart, actually bypassing the liver – instead of traveling through it. “While these methods have been successful in treating the symptoms, they do not address the fact that the liver is being starved of oxygen and other nutrients,” Langham said.
“Because the REX shunt procedure allows blood to flow through the liver, instead of around it, patients experience better growth and nutrition, and higher platelet counts. This is a revolutionary procedure that will help an increasing number of patients.”
For more information about this procedure and whether you may be a candidate, contact the Shands HealthCare Consultation Center at 800/749-7424 or 352/265-8000.
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